Americano vs Latte: What’s the difference?

Our comparison guides help you learn the difference between popular types of coffee drinks. This time it’s Americano vs latte — two of the most ordered espresso drinks in the world, yet they couldn’t taste more different.

The short answer: an Americano is espresso topped with hot water, giving you a clean, bold black coffee. A latte is espresso combined with steamed milk, producing a creamy, mild, and slightly sweet drink. The espresso base is the same — everything else sets them apart.

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Quick Comparison: Americano vs Latte

Before we get into the details, here’s how the two drinks stack up side by side. We’ll dig into each point throughout the guide.

Feature	Americano	Latte
What it is	Espresso + hot water	Espresso + steamed milk
How it’s made	Shot pulled, hot water added	Shot pulled, steamed milk poured over
Espresso shots	1–2 shots	1–2 shots
Milk or water	Hot water (no milk)	Steamed milk + thin foam layer
Volume	6–8 oz (standard)	10–12 oz (standard)
Strength/flavour	Bold, sharp, slightly bitter	Mild, creamy, gently sweet
Calories (approx.)	5–10 kcal	120–180 kcal (whole milk)
Best for	Black coffee lovers, low-calorie	Those who prefer creamy, milder coffee

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What is an Americano?

An Americano is espresso diluted with hot water to create a longer, more approachable black coffee. It dates back to World War II, when American soldiers stationed in Italy found the local espresso too intense. Baristas began adding hot water to tone it down — and a classic was born.

The result is a drink that looks similar to filter coffee but has the richer, slightly more complex flavour of espresso underneath. There’s no milk involved at all — just coffee and water.

How is an Americano made?

• Pull your espresso. Use 18–20g of finely ground coffee to pull a 1–2 oz shot (single or double) through your espresso machine.
• Heat your water. Bring hot water to around 195°F — just off the boil. You want it to match or slightly exceed the espresso temperature so the drink stays hot.
• Combine. Pour the hot water into your cup first (some baristas do espresso first — both work), then add the espresso shot. Pouring water first preserves the crema on top.
• Serve immediately. A standard Americano is around 6–8 oz total. Add more or less water to taste.

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What is a Latte?

A latte — short for caffè latte, meaning “coffee and milk” in Italian — is espresso combined with a generous pour of steamed milk and finished with a thin layer of microfoam. It’s one of the most popular coffee drinks in the world, beloved for its smooth, creamy texture.

The high milk-to-espresso ratio softens the bitterness considerably, which is why lattes are often a gateway drink for people who are warming up to coffee. They also form the base for flavoured variations like vanilla latte, caramel latte, and matcha latte.

How is a latte made?

• Pull your espresso. A standard latte uses 1–2 shots. Double shots are most common in café-sized 12 oz lattes.
• Steam the milk. Use cold whole milk (or your preferred alternative) and steam it to around 150°F. You’re aiming for silky microfoam — small, tight bubbles — not the stiff foam you’d use on a cappuccino.
• Combine in the right ratio. Pour the steamed milk over the espresso. The classic ratio is roughly 1 part espresso to 3–4 parts steamed milk, with just a thin cap of foam on top (about 0.5 cm).
• Optional latte art. Skilled baristas use the pour to create patterns in the foam — the rosette and tulip are most common.

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Taste and Texture: The Core Difference

This is the question most people are really asking when they search “americano vs latte” — and the difference is significant.

An Americano tastes bold, sharp, and slightly bitter. Hot water dissolves the espresso’s crema, spreading that concentrated flavour through the cup. You get all the earthy, roasted notes of the espresso bean without any sweetness to soften them. It’s cleaner and leaner than filter coffee but shares that black-coffee character.

A latte tastes creamy, mild, and gently sweet. The steamed milk physically cushions the espresso’s intensity — milk proteins bind with bitter compounds and the natural sugars in the milk add a slight sweetness without any added sugar. The texture is smooth and velvety, which is a big part of why lattes are so comforting. If you’d like to explore similar milky options, our guide on the differences between a cappuccino and a latte breaks down how the foam changes everything.

In short: if you love black coffee, the americano feels familiar. If you prefer something closer to a warm, milky coffee, the latte is your drink.

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Caffeine Comparison

Both drinks contain roughly the same amount of caffeine — because caffeine comes from the espresso, not from the water or milk added to it.

A single espresso shot contains approximately 63 mg of caffeine. A double shot (the most common base for both drinks in a café) brings that to around 125–130 mg. Neither diluting with hot water (Americano) nor steamed milk (latte) changes that number — the caffeine is simply spread across a larger volume of liquid.

Where things can differ is when a small café latte uses a single shot while a large Americano uses a double — always worth checking. The difference between an Americano and espresso itself comes down purely to dilution with water, with no caffeine change either.

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Calories: A Big Gap

This is where the two drinks diverge sharply, and it matters if you’re keeping an eye on what you drink.

An Americano has virtually no calories — around 5–10 kcal for a double-shot, depending on the beans. It’s just espresso and water, so there’s nothing adding to the calorie count.

A latte is a different story. The steamed milk adds significant calories:

• Whole milk latte (12 oz): ~180–200 kcal
• Semi-skimmed milk latte (12 oz): ~130–150 kcal
• Oat milk latte (12 oz): ~130–160 kcal (varies by brand)
• Almond milk latte (12 oz): ~60–80 kcal

If you add a flavoured syrup to your latte, tack on another 50–80 kcal per pump. A vanilla latte with two pumps can easily hit 250 kcal. For a low-calorie option with the same caffeine hit, the Americano wins by a long way.

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Iced Americano vs Iced Latte

Both drinks have wildly popular iced versions — and the difference in flavour is just as pronounced cold as it is hot.

An iced Americano is made by pulling espresso shots directly over ice, then adding cold water. The ice chills the espresso rapidly and the result is a crisp, clean, intensely flavoured black iced coffee. Some people add a splash of milk or cream, but traditionally it’s dairy-free. The sharp espresso character comes through clearly — it’s not diluted by milk, just by water and ice.

An iced latte is made by pouring espresso over ice and then adding cold milk (not steamed — no heating required for the iced version). The milk softens the espresso just as it does in the hot version, giving you that creamy, smooth texture in cold form. It’s a much gentler drink than an iced Americano. If you enjoy iced coffee drinks, it’s also worth checking out what a shaken espresso is — another chilled option with a different texture again.

The iced latte also works brilliantly as a base for flavoured syrups — iced vanilla latte, iced brown sugar latte, and iced matcha latte are all variations on the same base recipe.

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Which Should You Choose?

The right choice depends entirely on what you want from your coffee. Here’s a quick decision guide:

• If you enjoy black coffee — choose the Americano. It’s the same profile, just slightly fuller than a straight espresso.
• If you find black coffee too bitter — choose the latte. The milk takes the edge off and makes the espresso much more approachable.
• If you’re watching calories — go Americano. It’s one of the lowest-calorie ways to get your caffeine.
• If you want something comforting and filling — the latte wins. The volume of milk makes it feel more like a drink than a shot.
• If you like flavoured coffee — the latte takes syrups far better. Vanilla, caramel, or hazelnut pair naturally with the creamy base.
• If you’re deciding between the two for the first time — try a latte first. It’s gentler and gives you a better sense of what espresso can taste like without the full intensity.

Neither drink is objectively better — they’re just built for different preferences. For another take on how the americano stacks up against a similar espresso drink, see our americano vs macchiato comparison.

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FAQs — Americano vs Latte

Explore more in our coffee drink guides.

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